


The Various Romantic Adventures of Messrs Padfoot and Moony

by rubywallace25



Series: Messrs Padfoot and Moony Are Proud to Present a Series of Romanic Disasters [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24624073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubywallace25/pseuds/rubywallace25
Summary: A series of dates and the like...
Relationships: Frank longbottom/Dorcus Meadowes, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Original Female Character(s), Mary Macdonald/Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Messrs Padfoot and Moony Are Proud to Present a Series of Romanic Disasters [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873549
Comments: 96
Kudos: 289





	1. The First One

The small golden bell over the door rings loudly, too loudly in Sirius Black's opinion.

The room he finds himself in, or to be accurate the tea shop he finds himself in is one of the most disgusting places he has ever seen, and he includes Grimmald Place in that list.

There are so many frills.

And the sickly pink, purple and teal colour scheme sets his teeth on edge.

The whole room is cramped and Sirius has the horrible impression that the walls are closing in on him.

Relax.

You can do this.

You're Sirius Black get a bloody grip.

Attempting to remember who exactly he is, Sirius saunters in the direction of the tea shop's counter where a plump grey haired witch in an apron looks harassed.

"Welcome to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop how can I help you?"

The witch asks in a tight yet polite sounding voice.

She doesn't even bother to look up at him.

Conscious suddenly that this is the part where Sirius has to speak, he keeps his voice as low as possible as he asks.

"Table for two and a pot of tea."

"Sorry, what was that dear?"

The woman asks again, and this time she does look at Sirius.

Her brown eyes narrow at the sight of him, because although Sirius and his friends have never frequented this particular establishment before they are of course notorious throughout the rest of Hogsmeade.

Sirius flinches as a golden cherub hovering in mid air violently explodes confetti over a nearby table.

Behind him Sirius hears a boy clear his throat and is aware of the queue beginning to form behind him.

Sirius takes a deep steadying breath and blurts out in as casual a manner as anything can be shouted at another person.

"Table for two."

Sirius hears the whispers arrupt behind him.

Sirius Black is on a date...

I wonder what she's like...

That poor girl...

I wish it was me...

With his face now burning Sirius let's the old witch lead him to a table at the back of the tea shop, repleat with frilly tablecloth and very own angel.

Sirius' buries his nose in a menu as rows of eyes now blink towards him.

The only table not looking at him is the table comprised of four giggling girls who are more interested in bewitching the cherub above them with their wands.

The girls are of course Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, Mary Macdonald and Dorcus Meadowes.

And Sirius wonders if they're all on one big date or if they've paired off and if that's the case then which witch is with which?

He imagines the look on James and Peter's face when they discover the objects of their pent up desire, Lily and Mary, are off the market on account of their...

"I'm sorry I'm late."

Remus says breathlessly as he throws himself into the seat opposite Sirius, interrupting Sirius' train of thought.

Sirius makes a squeaking noise from the back of his throat and says no more as he watches Remus drag a large text book called 'At Home With Muggles' out of his battered satchel before depositing it heavily on the table between them.

The clatter of the book finally attracts the attention of Lily, Marlene, Mary and Dorcus, with three of the four girls bursting into hysterics at the sight of him.

Lily Evans however does not laugh along with her friends but instead gives Sirius a sympathetic smile.

How is it that Lily Evans seems to know everything about everybody?

Sirius ignores Lily and turns his attention to Remus who is pouring over the text book.

"Ah here, this, this is where we got to last time."

Remus says jabbing one ink stained finger across the page.

Those fingers...

Sirius feels a blush creeping up from his collar bone.

He shifts awkwardly in his chair as the grey haired witch appears at the edge of their table.

Her small brown eyes regard Remus and the book, before she asks in a softer tone.

"What can I get you, dears?"

Sirius clears his throat as Remus glances up quickly from his book.

"A pot of tea for two, and whatever that is."

Sirius jabs an accusing fingers in the direction of the tier of sandwiches and brightly coloured cakes that sit on the various tables.

The witch gives him a knowing smile before wandering off to the next table.

"Where are we?"

Remus asks as he glances up at the cherub hovering above them.

"I dunno, it's warm and I didn't fancy getting kicked out of The Three Broomsticks again."

Sirius shrugs.

Remus glances around the tea room before turning back to his book with the slightest clearing of his throat.

"It's ah, nice."

Remus practically winces out each word.

Sirius considers leaving in a huff when their tea and cakes suddenly appear.

Remus quickly removes his book from the table folding it back into his satchel as the witch places two cups, the pot of tea and the cake stand between them with a wave of her lilac coloured wand.

The moments tick by between Remus and Sirius as they sit in silence and eat.

The cakes are actually the best Sirius has ever tasted, not that he's been exposed to a great deal of cake during the course of his life, but it is almost as good as Peter's Mum's fruit cake.

After what feels like a lifetime Remus finally leans across the table and asks.

"Pads, are we on a date?"

The cherbub above them explodes raining pink, purple and teal coloured streamers down from the ceiling.


	2. Confessions

Is it the gloves?

Remus wonders as he attempts to distract himself with his charms text book.

He reads the same sentence five times and then glances up from the page to stare at Sirius.

Remus stares at Sirius for longer than he probably should, watching as his best friend shows off during the Gryffindor Team Quidditch practice.

Or is it the Gryffindor Quidditch uniform in general that inflames Remus Lupin's desires?

He looks from Sirius to James and then Marlene McKinnon.

No, it's definitely not the uniform.

Remus glances back down at the page, which appears to have disintegrated into absolute nonsense during his lapses in concentration.

"You're awfully quiet, Moony."

Peter says.

The pair sit side by side in the Gryffindor Quidditch stands, practically freezing their bollocks off because James and Sirius demand that they should be in attendance.

"I'm just cold."

Remus mutters a half truth.

Peter takes a hesitant breath, which is always a que that he actually wants to say more, but either hasn't worked out the right combination of words or is to nervous to just come out and say the thing that's on his mind.

Remus' attention is distracted from his friend as Marlene begins shouting down orders down the pitch to James, who is stubbornly ignoring her.

Marlene seems to think she knows more about Qudditch than anyone else, because one of her older brothers plays for Puddlemere United, and to be fair she probably does.

She knows a lot more than Remus at least, who has never really had the slightest interest in the 'beautiful game' as James likes to call it.

Remus becomes aware that their stand is not as empty as he had first thought as the sound of elephantine feet and giggles heralds the arrival of Mary Macdonald and Dorcus Meadowes, who arm in arm appear together on the stands.

Lily Evans appears shortly after her friends.

It appears that Lily has the same idea as Remus as she clutches her own charms text book and a roll of parchment.

"Hello Remus. Hello Peter."

Dorcus greets them with an almost hysterical fit of laughter, as she finds a seat with Lily and Mary at the back of the stands.

At the sight of Mary Macdonald Peter's entire head including his ears turn red.

Marlene is still shouting at James.

"Did you have a nice Valentine's day?"

Dorcus addresses Remus and Peter pointedly.

Remus thinks back to the odd afternoon that he'd spent in Madame Puddifoot's tea shop with Sirius, during their not actually confirmed date.

Recently they've taken to doing a lot of things like that, Remus and Sirius.

There's been the odd spontaneous bout of hand holding, when James and Peter are both busy or oblivious or both.

And they both seem to spend a good deal of their time planning ways in, which they can spend their time together sitting in the Gryffindor common room alone.

The map helps with that.

And once Remus thought that Sirius might have been planning on kissing him and was woefully disappointed when he didn't.

That's when Remus realised that he probably wants a bit more from Sirius than just friendship.

"Yes, it was fine thank you. And yourselves?"

Remus notes the looks that pass between Dorcus, Mary and Lily, and he knows what's coming next.

"Did you and Sirius enjoy the cakes in Madame Puddifoot's?"

Dorcus' voice has a sugar sweet tone about it, that causes even Lily to smirk at her friend.

Dorcus Meadowes is by far the biggest gossip in the entire school.

"What, wait, hang on."

The penny drops with Peter, but Remus cuts him off.

"Perfectly adequate, thank you Dorcus."

Remus notices the way Peter is suddenly starting to look from himself to Sirius, who is currently engaged in a heated debate with Marlene.

No, call it what it is, an argument.

Sirius and Marlene are having yet another blazing row.

Breaking away from Sirius and Marlene James begins to fly towards the stands, bringing his broomstick to hover level in front of Remus and Peter.

"They do this every practice, and I've had enough. Padfoot would save us a lot of pain if he just asked Marly out."

Remus feels an odd flare of jealousy at the thought of Sirius and Marlene.

"He's barking up the wrong tree there."

Lily chimes in.

"Evans!"

The grin James is suddenly wearing at the sight of Lily threatens to split his face.

"Have you come to watch me practice?"

James asks with a hopeless swagger.

"No."

Lily explains.

"I was here to see Marly, but if she's just going to spend the whole practice shouting at Sirius, then I'm leaving."

Lily gets up from her seat and glances at Dorcus and Mary, and when neither of her friends join her she begins to leave the stands in a huff.

"Come on Evans, don't be like that."

James excitedly pleads, as he dismount his boom and falls flat into the laps of Remus and Peter, at this Dorcus and Mary's shrieks of laughter become just too much and Remus decides to follow Lily's example by leaving.

"Prongs, you weight a ton."

Peter complains.

Remus manages to slip from beneath James limbs, and summoning his charms book with a wave of his wand he follows Lily down the stairs that lead out of the stands.

He thinks about saying something to Lily, but quickly changes his mind not wanting to be on the wrong side of a hex.

"Oi, Moony."

From the darkness underneath the stands Remus hears his name being called, and a moment later Sirius steps into a shaft of wintry light.

He looks hot, and by that Remus means sweaty and disheveled.

Before he can stop himself Remus says.

"Prongs, thinks that you fancy Marly."

"Marlene!"

Sirius practically spits out the name.

And then he starts laughing.

"The only person I fancy is you, Moony."

The laughter dies in Sirius' throat, as the pair look at each other with wide eyes.

It's there, Sirius has put a name to the vague longing that they've both been feeling for longer than either of them can remember.

Remus remembers to breathe again, and he takes a step towards Sirius who smiles up at him.


	3. Domestic Bliss?

A late Sunday evening fug has fallen over the assembled inhabitants of Gryffindor Tower.

Peter is snoring loudly in a chair near the fire, while James is being beaten, no crushed to pieces, by Frank Longbottom at chess.

Frank Longbottom is good at everything.

Sirius can't keep a thought straight in his head.

He's whole body feels as if it's racing with electricity, he wants to race laps on his broomstick, anything to get rid of the excess energy, and yet Sirius can't drag himself up off the sofa, because if he does the side of his hand will stop touching Remus'.

Sirius steals a glance from the corner of his eye at Remus who has his head buried between the pages of a Muggle book called The Mill on The Floss.

"Best out of three, Frank?"

Sirius is distracted by James' question, and he moves his gaze quickly away.

Remus moves his hand to turn the page of his book, but quickly rests his fingers back against the sofa cushion once his mission is accomplished.

Sirius smiles to himself.

"I think I've beaten you enough for one night."

Frank chuckles.

A look of disappointment crosses James' features as Frank packs up his chess set and heads for the dormitory.

"I still think he cheats."

James mutters darkly to Sirius.

"We're you watching?"

James questions Sirius, whose mind goes blank.

"A bit."

He answers weakly.

James frowns hard.

"So, what you've just been sitting there staring into space like some bedraggled lump?"

Bedraggled.

"Bedraggled, what do you mean, do I look bedraggled?"

Sirius' hands immediately run up to his hair, which is the only part of his Black heritage that he actually cares about and actively maintains.

Peter snorts himself into consciousness, however at the sight of the looks on James and Sirius' faces he too, quickly follows Frank up the stairs.

And then there we're three.

Remus looks over the top of his battered paperback. 

"What about Evans, was she watching?"

Sirius shrugs, unable to remember if Lily Evans had even been in the room.

James' expression clouds.

"The frog choir,"

Remus chips in.

"...has a late evening practice, so I expect that Lily is still there."

This nugget of information appears to placate the unusually moody James.

"Next time I expect you to watch."

At this statement Sirius watches as Remus retreats back behind the safety of his book.

Ordinary Sirius would brush such a statement off, but, well he can't think of a better way to get rid of his tension than with a good old fashioned argument.

Well, he can think of one or two other ways.

"It's not my fault that you can't play chess, and I do actually have a life outside of this!"

Sirius motions at the gap between James and himself.

"What life?"

James mutters under his breath.

He's not wrong, Sirius thinks to himself, they've always done everything together.

Getting up from the floor, James throws himself moodily into Peter's vacated chair.

The three of them sit in silence.

Sirius continues to pat his hair reassuringly, while James stares into the fire ominously, and Remus continues to read.

The portrait swings open and Lily and Alice step into the common room laughing and clutching their toads.

Things are so bad that James doesn't even address Lily as she sweeps passed him.

Lily pauses briefly to glance at James, but quickly shakes her head, before disappearing up the stairs, toad in hand.

"You're a real git!"

James explodes, before flinging himself out of his chair and loudly racing up to their dormitory, unable to accept the prospect of being beaten by anyone, ever.

And then there were two.

Sirius stares resolutely down at the knuckles on his hands.

Remus turns the page.

"He's the git."

Sirius says, and the asks with more than a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Who do you like more, me or James?"

Remus rests his book down across his lap.

"Peter."

Remus grins.

Sirius picks up a nearby pillow and hits Remus hard in the side of the head.

Laughter fills the room.

"I changed my mind, you're the git. You bloody traitor."

Sirius throws back his head and barks with laughter.


	4. Amy Floss All Over Again

"So, how was the family holiday to Spain?"

Remus is laying on his back and staring up at the wide blue sky.

So close to a transformation he always finds it easier somehow to be alone, away from James and Peter and especially Sirius.

The wolf stirs.

To distract himself, he listens to the fragments of conversation that float across the grounds.

Lily, Marlene, Mary and Dorcus sit in their usual knot beneath a willow tree with their lunch and books spread carefully around them.

"It was, alright."

He hears Marlene admit with an odd sounding sheepish note in her voice.

Marlene is by far the most confident girl in their year, and she even manages to give James and Sirius a run for their money.

"Did you learn any Spannish?"

Lily asks.

"Oh yes, Marly is fluent in tongues."

Remus has always found Dorcus Meadowes annoying, and it has nothing to do with her prowess at Gobstones.

Well, perhaps it has a little to do with her prowess at Gobstones.

"Dorcus!"

Marlene exclaims.

"Wait did you, did you kiss someone, while you were on holiday?"

Mary's sleepy sounding voice joins the conversation.

To Remus, Mary always sounds as if she's just been woken up and as if shes trying to remember exactly where she is.

"No Mary,"

Marlene struggles to contain her friends.

"What was she like?"

Lily's question causes Remus' eyebrows to rise practically off the top of his head.

Raising himself up onto his elbows Remus stares at the girls and in particular Marlene, who has turned the same colour as his Mother's prize tomatoes.

Marlene McKinnon likes girls, this is news to him, especially since almost everyone in Gryffindor Tower appears to believe that she has some unresolved sexual tension with Sirius.

Remus tries not to feel to elated at the fact that Marlene is, well, quite obviously gay, and so can have no sexual tension with Sirius whatsoever.

It's just tension.

Sirius and Marlene just hate one another, which is the purest and happiest of motivations in Renus' mind.

"Was she Spannish, or English? How did you meet?"

Dorcus asks excitedly.

Lily, Mary and Dorcus press in eagerly around Marlene, and Remus finds himself wishing that he was in her place, that James and Peter would be as open minded.

Not that either of them are closed minded, after all he is a werewolf, and they are still his friends.

He should give them a chance.

But, the problem is that Remus isn't at all that sure that he himself is in fact gay.

Yes, alright so he's started to think about Sirius in a very non platonic way, but before that, he'd liked a fourth year Ravenclaw called, Amy.

Remus had liked her so much in fact that he'd spent a good deal of time kissing her, or thinking about kissing her, or telling James and Sirius and Peter what it was like to kiss her, or any girl for that matter, since he, Remus J Lupin, had been the first.

"Her name is Paloma, and yes, she's Spannish. She's a seeker on one of the Beauxbaton house teams, although I can't actually remember which one."

If he had liked Amy so much then, how can he like Sirius now?

"Too much kissing?"

If its possible, Remus thinks that he probably likes Sirius even more than Amy, especially since Sirius knows everything about him, including his 'furry little problem'.

He needs to talk to someone, anyone, but not Sirius or James or Peter.

Remus dislikes potions, and to be honest as a subject he's pretty sure that potions feels the same way about him.

Discouraged he stares into the bottom of his cauldron, where he's cooper spoon has melted.

"Don't worry Remus, you can have some of mine."

Peter volunteers.

Remus glances at Peter's concoction, which although an improvement on his own is far below what is should be.

Once again Professor Slughorn awards Lily and Severus Snape a joint first prize, while the rest of the class clap half heartedly.

Lily and Snape look uncomfortable to be standing so close together.

As soon as he can Remus has decided to drop potions from his timetable, after all unlike Sirius and James he has no ambition to become an Auror.

With the prize bestowed and a warning about their looming OWLs, Remus begins to pack up his bag with the rest of the class, happy to escape to confines of Professor Slughorn's gloomy classroom, but then he just as he is following in the wake of his friends he notices Marlene.

Outside of being cordial, Remus can honestly say that he's never really spoken to Marlene, but now he can't seem to fight the compulsion not to.

"Marlene, can I talk to you about something?"

Remus catches Marlene's attention just as she moves through the open classroom door.

"Come on Moony!"

Sirius calls out impatiently, as he waits with James and Peter.

Ordinarily, Peter is the one who keeps them waiting.

And then, and then Remus walks out of Slughorn's dungeon with Marlene McKinnon.

Of all the girls, why did it have to be her?

Sirius absolutely hates Marlene.

Something in his chest tightens.

It's just like Amy 'fucking' Floss all over again.

Just when Sirius had started to believe that Remus might feel the same way about him.

What had all the sodding hand holding and intense stares been about?

"Watch out Pads, I think Remus is after your girl."

James teases him, while Peter laughs.

Sirius wants to die.

No, he wants Remus and Marlene to die.

Sirius grits his teeth as he watches Remus and Marlene walk off together in the opposite direction.


	5. Still Fond

The three boys have reached the stage where only two of them can fit comfortably under James Potter's invisibility cloak, and then only by bending at the knees.

Crouching low in the moist evening grass James and Sirius watch as Madame Pompfrey and Professor Sprout lead the familiar hunched figure of Remus towards the Womping Willow.

Sirius is still angry with Remus and Marlene.

His temper had gotten the better of him to such an extent that he'd sent Marlene off to the hospital wing after he'd purposely flown into her broomstick during a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff.

As soon as he'd done it Sirius had felt terrible, but it had been too late, the damage, specifically to Marlene, had been done.

Sirius was now being 'rested' from the team, his position temporarily being covered by a 3rd year, Olivia McMillan.

He wasnt sure he'd ever seen James so livid, or Peter terrified or Remus disgusted.

They're barely speaking to him.

Sirius looks like her, his Mother, when he loses his temper and he hates that most of all.

Even now, when they'd usually be full of plans about how they were going to spend the evening, they're just crouched in breathy silence.

Sirius had been in two minds about coming, but without his dog, he knew that James would never be able to control Remus with only Peter.

"Someone should tell Albus, I think the grounds have developed a nasty rat infestation."

Professor Sprout appears back out into the night, and is joined shortly after by Madame Pompfrey.

"That's the second one I've seen in a week, the last one was,"

"What sort of life is that?"

Madame Pompfrey cuts Professor Sprout off mid sentence.

"Say that again, Poppy."

Sprout says and with a wave of her wand the limbs of the willow spring menacingly back into life.

"That poor boy. What sort of a life will he have when he eventually leaves the school? If he survives, that is. Sometimes I wonder if it might not have been kinder just to,"

Let Remus die.

Sirius' blood runs cold.

He feels James tense next to him.

There's more to Remus than just being a werewolf.

He's clever and occasionally funny, when he's not correcting their grammar.

And more important, the most important thing is that he's a good friend, the best friend.

Remus whole life shouldn't be defined by his condition.

And they will help him, Sirius and James and Peter, they will take care of him, in just the same way outside of school that they do now.

Nothing has to change.

Nothing will ever change.

"Fancy a glass of firewhiskey, before you turn in for the night, Poppy?"

Sirius watches as the two women make there way back across the grounds towards the castle.

"I'm not the official queen of queerdom, you know?"

Marlene points out as she sits in the empty sink and swings her legs over the edge.

Remus finds an interesting ink stain on his robes, and just stares at it.

"If anything I always thought that it might have been James and Sirius. I mean I know that James makes a big thing of liking Lily, but no-body takes that seriously."

Marlene muses.

"I'll have to tell her."

"You won't mention this will you?"

Remus takes his gaze away from the stain long enough to shoot Marlene a desperate stare.

She's got that expression on her face, the 'oh Remus, you're so pathetic, but I feel sorry for you' look.

The teachers all look at him the same way, all except Dumbledore.

Marlene's expression gives way to a wide and cheerful smile.

"Oh come on Lupin, I'm extremely good at keeping secrets. I've known about Mary and Peter for ages and I've never let that slip."

She giggles, while Remus' brain stalls.

"Peter and Mary? Our Peter and your Mary?"

Marlene's face freezes mid smile.

"You do know, don't you?"

She asks with a frown.

Remus shakes his head.

Marlene's face falls.

"Oh come on l, surely you've noticed? The identical grass stains? The fact that they always arrive in the Great Hall exactly five minutes after the other? The lovebites? We all assumed that you three knew as well."

"I thought that was a rash."

Remus comments without thinking.

Why had Peter kept such a big thing to himself? Doesn't he trust them?

Remus tries to picture Peter with Mary.

Mary who is tall and willowy, and the prettiest girl at school, while Peter is...well he's Peter.

That's what people will think of him and Sirius.

Sirius has flung himself into a tattered armchair, while James and Peter play a round of Gobstones.

And then it starts...the screaming.

Sirius can hear Remus screaming.

He tries distract himself by watching James and Peter play another round, but the sound of breaking glass above them causes Sirius' gaze to shift up towards the ceiling.

"That's the mirror."

Peter comments.

"To be honest I'm surprised that it's survived this long."

James adds.

Sirius wants to crawl out of his own skin.

He can't stand this, he can't stand sitting there doing nothing, while Renus suffers unimaginable agonies.

He has to go.

No-one can expect him to sit there and listen to this.

Sirius has to leave.

Without warning he jumps up from the chair and heads for the door.

"Sirius!"

"Padfoot, what are you doing?"

Sirius ignores the startled cries and questions from James and Peter as he thrusts open the door and finds himself staring at a fully transformed werewolf.


	6. The Disobedient Dog

Sirius thinks that he may very well be dying as he rolls on his back and stares up at the canopy above his head.

Every part of his body aches from the tip of his nose to the end of his toes.

"What on Earth happened to you?"

Sirius hears Frank Longbottom address someone in the room.

"Midnight Quidditch practice gone wrong, but keep it, ah, under your hat."

Sirius can hear James practically wince out each word as he replies.

"Alright mate, but no blood on my bed spread."

Frank chuckles back.

Sirius hears the sound of the dormitory door closing and assumes that Frank has gone down to breakfast.

Breakfast, Sirius can't even stomach thinking of the word.

He hears James' gasps of pain as unseen, his best friend attempts to navigate around the room.

"It's alright Peter, Frank won't say anything."

Sirius' mind goes blank as he finds himself staring up at a transformed Remus.

He's barely breathing.

The nostrils on Remus' snout flare.

Sirius hears a familiar pop, followed by a squeak as Peter transforms himself into a rat.

He needs to transform, to become Padfoot the big, brave and bold, but he can't, it's not happening, it's never not happened before, not since their early failed experiments.

Remus isn't moving, he's just looking at Sirius and breathing hard.

Can he smell his scent, Sirius wonders, is that why Remus hasn't attacked him?

His heart quickens it's pace as Remus throws back his head and let's out a deafening howl.

Sirius shrinks back to cover his ears and it's in that moment that Remus appears to notice him for the first time.

Raising one clawed hand, Sirius can do nothing but close his eyes and flinch backwards, while he waits for the blow to land.

In that moment however, lost in the darkness of his own closed eyes, that Sirius feels himself being lifted up in the air from behind by something hard and tossed backwards.

Sirius hits the floor with a thud sending a cloud of dust into the air.

He rolls quickly off his stomach and onto his back just in time to watch as James' stag Prongs, charges Remus back down the corridor.

James has saved his life, again.

Remus swipes and snaps at James as he attempts to get the better of the stag's antlers.

Padfoot comes then, all teeth and fur and fury, throwing himself into the fight like a mad thing.


	7. Recovery

Usually by the third day Remus is discharged from the hospital wing, usually, however it's day five and he's still flat on his back.

He can't even find his normal escape in the pages of his favourite books, because both his arms are still healing and Madame Pompfrey has him swathed in bandages.

His face, his arms, he's been mummified.

His face.

Remus isn't vain, he is well aware that his looks are perfectly average, if not horribly bland, or at least they always have been, but he wonders what he looks like now, what the bandages are concealing.

Does he even have a face anymore?

Sirius' beautiful face suddenly appears, hovering expectantly over him, with a wide mischievous smile.

Remus wonders if he's dreaming, but then James and Peter appear, and he knows that it's not a dream, that the three of them are staring at him.

"Watcha, Moony."

Sirius smiles.

The bed dips as Sirius immediately sits on the edge.

Remus drags himself up his pillow so that he's able to look at his friends.

James claims the chair next to Remus' bed, which leaves Peter on his feet and hovering nervously in the middle.

"You look shocking, mate."

James observes, while Peter nods quickly in agreement.

Remus' gaze flicks to Sirius, who appears to be concentrating on some interesting mark on the hospital sheets.

"What happened? I overheard Madame Pompfrey telling Professor Mcgonnigal that she thought I had been attacked by a,"

"It was me."

Sirius interrupts Remus.

Sirius exchanges a quick look with James, which speaks volumes.

"It was no-ones fault,"

James starts, but then doesn't finish.

The realisation that Sirius had done this to him hits Remus like a ton of bricks.

He must have been too close to Hogsmeade, something must have gone horribly wrong.

"I'm sorry."

His apology is weak.

James shifts uncomfortably in his chair, and as he moves Remus catches sight of the bruises that cover his forearms.

Sirius has a black eye, fading, but still dark enough to be noticable.

The only one who seems uninjured is Peter.

He has done this to them, hurt his friends.

Remus feels suddenly sick and wretched.

"It was no-ones fault."

James says again, pointedly.

Panic floods Remus.

We have to stop.

It's not safe.

I could have killed one of you.

Are all the words that run through Remus' mind and yet, and yet...he says nothing.

Because..because...

He hates himself.

An uneasy silence settles over the foursome.

"We went to Honeydukes."

Peter pipes up at last.

At this James and Sirius become animated at the prospect of a distraction and immediately begin to drag handfuls of sweets from their pockets and depositing them across Remus' bed.

There's no further mention of that night, and after another three days Remus finally leaves the hospital wing with his face relatively intact, save only for three long angry, permanent scars.


	8. The Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a short one, which I wrote while waiting for my online shopping to arrive.

They never really discuss it, the closeness that continues to build between them.

Remus is sitting in the Gryffindor common room when it happens, when Sirius comes swaggering into the room and immediately throws himself across one of the sofas, and more specifically, casually slings both his legs across Remus' lap.

"Do you have to take up all the space on the sofa, where am I supposed to sit?"

James complains bitterly.

While Sirius wears the grin of a lunatic, and rests one arm casually behind his head.

In that moment Sirius reminds Remus of some idle prince from a fairytale.

"Shove off Prongs, there are plenty of other chairs. This one is far too comfy to give up."

Sirius winks at Remus.

Sirius pretends to tie his shoe lace the Muggle way, hovering on one knee outside of the entrance of the Charms classroom until the optimum moment, when Peter has squashed himself in next to James on the bench, and the spot on the other side of Remus is free.

Usually they sit in order James, Sirius, Remus and then if there's the room Peter, but increasingly he has started to notice that Peter appears to be happiest when seated next to Mary Macdonald.

Sirius finishes with his pretence and slides into the space next to Remus, whose already busy making notes from the blackboard on a roll of parchment.

Lazily Sirius drags his quill and parchment from his bag and starts to copy whatever Remus has written, rather than read the instructions for himself.

After a while, five minutes to be exact Sirius starts to get bored, and that's when he notices that Remus' hand is slowly edging towards his own.

Sirius doesn't move his own hand from the top of the bench, but waits as Remus' fingers slide ever closer until finally his hand is resting over Sirius'.

A bolt of warm, electricity races through Sirius' body.

Silently Sirius hopes that Remus will never move, that he'll just keep his hand there over his own, forever, or at the very least through the rest of Charms.


	9. Prongs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Frank Longbottom and Dorcus Meadowes had a thing, in my head.

It's just starting to snow as they make their way back from The Three Broomsticks.

Sirius can feel the cold all the way down in his bones, as he shoves his bare hands into the pockets of his robes and follows along behind James.

There are more of them this evening, as The Maurders have been joined by Frank Longbottom, Mary Macdonald and Dorcus Meadowes.

They'd found Dorcus slumped under a table in the bar, after having tasted her first illicit firewhiskey, and she's now being supported between Remus and her boyfriend Frank, as she sways this way and that, and hiccups merrily. 

Sirius is determined never to let Dorcus forget a moment of this, especially not the part where she had decorated Madame Rosmerta's new boots with vivid green vomit.

As Sirius studies the back of James' head and decides that now is the moment, and that he'll probably never feel braver.

Because before anything else, and before he has even spoken to Remus first, Sirius needs to know that James is comfortable with the idea.

The idea of Sirius Black sort of actually being in a couple with Remus Lupin.

Sirius hasn't remotely accommodated the idea that James won't be okay with it.

"Prongs."

He calls out to James, who immediately slows his pace so that Sirius can fall in next to him.

"That's 50 points from Gryffindor, right there."

James chuckles and points at Dorcus.

Sirius smiles.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

He asks, and all of a sudden he thinks he sounds like one of the goblins in Gringots wanting to discuss the under payment of a loan.

"Of course my dear fellow."

James grins.

Sirius slows their pace allowing Remus, Dorcus, Frank, Peter and Mary to move a good way beyond them before he starts to speak again.

The words leave him utterly.

Suddenly horribly mute, Sirius walks along in miserable silence next to his best friend.

"Pads, I'm not a legilimens, you actually have to open your mouth for me to be able to understand you."

James says.

But the words still won't come, they're stuck somewhere deep down in Sirius throat.

"You're not dying are you?"

James enquires so casually that Sirius wonders what he would do if the answer was, yes.

"Are you seriously going to make me guess?"

James continues.

Sirius doesn't even rise to the seriously.

"Is it about you fancying Remus?"

If he had the benefit of a chair Sirius would definitely fall off of it.

He blinks back at James, once, twice and then for a third time, completely dumbstruck.

"You know?"

Sirius asks, when he finally finds his voice.

James grin widens.

"I'm not blind, I've seen the hand holding. You never hold my hand like that anymore."

James teases.

"Also Peter told me that Remus fancies you, so I put two and two together."

"Good to know that you've finally learned how to count."

Sirius says as the initial shock begins to fade.

"How does Peter know?"

Sirius demands.

James raises and eyebrow and begins.

"Well, Moony told Marlene, who told Dorcus, who told Mary, who told Peter, who told me."

"So, the whole school knows?"

James nods sagely, as he drapes one arm over Sirius shoulders.

"The only thing you have to worry about now is prying Docus off Moony, and you'll be fine."

Sirius gaze drifts off in the direction of his prospective boyfriend who is currently attempting to avoid another projectile vomiting session from Dorcus.

Of course this being Remus he fails, and James and Sirius burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter as they catch up with the rest of their friends.


	10. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure how to end this, so I've just gone and ended it.  
> I hope you enjoy it.  
> Thank you to everyone who has read this, commented or left kudos.

The Christmas holiday is only a week away and The Great Hall is packed not only with brightly coloured Christmas trees, but also the excited chatter of students as they hurry over their breakfasts.

"What are your plans for Christmas?"

James asks, as he loads up his slice of toast with an impossible amount of marmalade.

James has been asking the same question for days in the hopes that Sirius will take the hint and agree to spend his Christmas with The Potters, but so far Sirius has stubbornly refused to take the hint.

"I bought this for Mary, do you think she'll like it?"

Peter says, as he waves something that looks very much like a jewellery box under the noses of his friends.

"Not now, Peter."

James says dismissively.

Remus notes the expression on Peter's face, and feels a pang of guilt towards his friend.

"Can I have a look, Wormtail?"

Remus asks.

Peter's chubby face brightens as he passes the large red velvet box across the table.

Remus braces himself for the contents, but when he opens the lid, he's pleasantly surprised by the pretty, gold, initial M necklace, which glitters up at him.

"That's lovely Peter, I'm sure Mary will really like it."

Peter practically glows as Remus hands him back the jewellery box.

Remus' silently laments the fact that Peter and Mary are some how a lot further in their relationship than he's managed to get with Sirius.

They haven't even kissed yet.

They've been close many times, but it's never actually happened.

Since he has the most experience with kissing, Remus wonders if he should just take the initiative, but taking the initiative is something that he's never been very good with.

At least they sit together now, with James and Peter sitting on the opposite side of the table.

James is still talking, but stealing a glance in Sirius' direction, Remus notices that Sirius probably isn't listening because he's staring at Marlene McKinnon, well not just Marlene, it's her older brother, The Head Boy, Rory, wearing his Slytherin robes and having stopped to speak to his Gryffindor sister, that Sirius appears to have the most interest in.

He's not the only one watching Marlene and Rory McKinnon, Regulus, Sirius' younger brother is also trying very hard not to be seen watching the pair.

Despite their houses being engaged in some sort of cold war, Marlene and Rory are laughing together, he's patting her on the shoulder, and Remus wonders if secretly Sirius and Regulus want to be like Marlene and her brother.

"I'm going home to be tortured by my family for three weeks."

Sirius says, when he finally manages to pull his gaze away from Marlene and Rory.

"You know you really don't have to, Mum and Dad will be more than happy to have you stay."

James says.

Remus wonders what his own family Christmas will look like, especially when Christmas Eve will fall on the full moon this year, so he'll probably spend Christmas Day recovering in the basement.

He loves his parents, but oh how he has grown to hate that basement, especially now that Sirius and James and Peter can transform.

Still it's only one night a month, Remus tries to find comfort in this fact.

One night.

Remus is rushing along the long stone corridor when he hears it, the unmistakable sound of someone crying. 

He stops, and turns and makes his way around the pillar where he finds Sirius, or at least it looks like Sirius from the back.

In truth Remus has never seen his friend looking so, so, small or hunched or generally defeated.

"Sirius?"

Remus whispers softly.

The boy turns.

It is Sirius and he has been crying.

Remus immediately wants to wrap his arms around around his friend, but instead he just stands their staring.

Sirius stares back with red rimmed eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

Remus asks carefully, once his finds his voice.

"I'm not crying."

Sirius barks back.

Neither of them believe him for a moment.

"It's not to late to change your mind, James is desperate for you to spend Christmas with him."

Remus says hurriedly, and not at all with a pang of jealousy.

Sirius fixes him with a hard stare, and them demands.

"You're not even going to ask me are you?"

Remus blinks.

The galleon is up in the air.

Remus begins to engage his brain.

The galleon finally drops.

"You mean that you want to spend Christmas with me?"

Sirius red rimmed eyes appear to burn with a manic intensity.

"I want you to ask me."

Remus begins to panic and splutter and panic all over again.

There is nothing more he would like than to spend Christmas with Sirius but, but, but...

"I thought you liked The Potters."

He says lamely.

Sirius continues to stare.

"We don't have the room."

Is what Remus says, when what he actually wants to say is, 'my parents chain me up in the basement of our minuscule cottage, during the full moon, and I really don't want you to witness that. Also 'I don't want my Mum and Dad to know that I have betrayed their trust by telling people that I'm a werewolf'.

"Fine.FINE. FINE."

Sirius says in an increasingly not fine tone of voice.

"It's not that I don't want you."

Remus adds with a sudden sense of desperation, because all he wants is Sirius.

Sirius motions to move past him, but Remus reaches out and catches him by the top of his arm.

They both stand there for a moment looking at the back of Remus' scarred hand.

And then it happens...

Their faces are suddenly less than an inch away from the other.

Sirius is pushing forward, but Remus is holding him in place, because he's not ready, because he has to know.

"Can I kiss you?"

The words spill easily from Remus' mouth, causing him to wonder what had made him hold onto them for so long.

"Yes."

Sirius' eye flash as he practically growls the word.

As if a Madame Hooch has blown her whistle out on the Quidditch grounds Remus suddenly falls upon Sirius.

Their lips finally meet.

There's no finesse.

As someone who has kissed someone else before on multiple occasions Remus finds himself surprisingly useless.

Their teeth clash.

Sirius doesn't seem to know what to do with his tongue.

And Remus pushes him back against the stone wall so hard that he's sure he must have hit the back of Sirius' head, but the other boy doesn't complain.

Despite the awkwardness, kissing Sirius feels like breathing for the first time after a long time under water.

Remus has never wanted anything more, will never want anything more.

This is it.

Rubbish kissing ability aside.

This is forever.


End file.
